Using Social Media for your Business

Social media use is becoming more prevalent every day. Many people look to social media first to get recommendations on which companies to hire or to decide which businesses to patronize. So if you want to increase your online presence, it’s important to promote yourself on social media.

Which Social Media Accounts Are Right for You?

Of course, businesses can get on almost any social media platform, and most of them are free to join. But why waste your time if they aren’t going to help promote your content, drive leads or increase traffic? You’ll need to decide which sites are the most beneficial for your type of business.

For example, in my recently published book on Social Media Marketing for Restaurants, I recommend using social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business, Yelp, Twitter, Foursquare, Pinterest and Snapchat to maximize your social presence. The book describes what benefits each platform serves specifically for restaurants.

Even if you don’t own or operate a restaurant, much of the guidance in my book can be applied and many of the same social media platforms can also work for you, especially Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp and Twitter. It’s important to identify your audience, define your social media goals and know your expectations so that you can hone in on the platforms that will work for your business.

Developing a Social Media Strategy

It’s a good idea to devise a strong social media marketing strategy for your business. Following this strategy will help increase your brand awareness and followers, as well as drive traffic to your website and generate leads. Here are some tips on what to include in your social media strategy.

1. Create a Buyer or User Persona.

You will need to understand who your audience is and where and when they go for information.

Developing a user persona can go a long way in helping determine the characteristics of your target audience. Hubspot Academy outlines how to go about creating these personas. Once you know details about your ideal customers, you can develop a social media strategy that is directed toward the right audience.

2. Define your Social Media Goals.

The goals of your social media strategy will depend on the size, type and location of your business. Some goals to consider are:

Drive traffic to your website

Generate sales leads

Increase trust and credibility

Offer an additional source for customer interaction

Increase search engine optimization and online presence

3. Share valuable and engaging content.

Your social media posts should do more than just promote your products or services. Offering advice, tips and guidelines related to your brand will establish you as a trusted expert in your field. And branch out from the printed word. Including photos, videos and links will go a long way in boosting readership and sharing.

4. Interact with your audience.

These are “social” networks, so interacting with your followers is important. Liking and sharing their comments, commenting yourself on their posts, just being more “personal” will go a long way in optimizing your social media presence.

5. Test your efforts.

You’ll need to monitor the results on a regular basis to check if you are getting what you expected from your strategy. You can use some analytical tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to get a better understanding of the shares and content which are generating the most engagement – along with those that are not.

Social Media Should be Part of Your Marketing Plan

Using the right social media platforms and developing a strategy to optimize your social media plan can greatly increase your online presence.